When all is said and done, DeShawn Painter’s impatience and Amile Jefferson’s last minute change of heart and ultimate spurn of NC State may end up deciding the ultimate fate of the 2012-2013 Wolfpack.
Rumors are circulating that reserve power forward, Thomas de Theay (‘TDT’), is leaving the NC State Basketball program. The timing of the rumors certainly make sense as the academic calendar is between semesters. Additionally, TDT did not see action in a hotly contested game on Friday night against UNC-Asheville.
Although de Theay has played sparingly, his big body, general athleticism and solid stroke from the perimeter could have made a valuable impact for the Wolfpack as the season progressed.
Mark Gottfried’s press conference comments just 15 minutes ago may lend some credence to this rumor as he specifically cited Jordan Vandenberg with no mention of ‘TDT’.
“We need to get some more time for Vandenberg as our third big, sort of in the role DeShawn Painter had last year.”
If the rumors are true, TDT’s void leaves Vandenberg as the only natural post player on the bench for Mark Gottfried’s Wolfpack. I guess we could see some experimenting with TJ Warren as part of the rotation on the post resulting in a small, but offensively powerful lineup.
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In the time since this original entry was posted, TDT’s departure has been publicly announced from multiple media outlets. Link here to Technician.